Julian Vasquez Heilig discusses a recent conference call that included a coalition of parents, lawmakers and elected leaders, education leaders, and community groups. “Recent news reporting and academic studies have documented the waste, fraud and abuse by privately-managed charter schools, which have cost taxpayers millions while hurting students. The California Teachers Association and other civil rights groups have sponsored and supported numerous pieces of legislation to ensure equal access for all students.”

Ben Spielberg looks at the impact of poverty and inequality vs. education. “None of this evidence changes the fact that education is very important. It just underscores that direct efforts to reduce poverty and inequality – efforts that put more money in the pockets of low-income people and provide them with important benefits like health care – are most important if our goal is to boost opportunities for low-income students.”

Joetta Sack-Min shares the findings of the 2016 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. “Joshua P. Starr, the chief executive officer of PDK International, noted the public’s divide in prepared remarks about the findings. ‘There’s a real question today about education’s return on investment,’ Starr remarked. ‘While we know that a college degree is essential in today’s economy, parents and the public want to see a clearer connection between the public school system and the world of work.’”

Tim Walker reviews the findings of the 2016 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. “For the 15th consecutive year, a plurality of Americans (19%) believe lack of funding is the top problem facing public schools, and, by 53% to 45%, a majority favors raising local property taxes to help improve public schools. Furthermore, if taxes were raised, 34% of respondents said they would want the revenue to be allocated toward hiring new teachers and raising their salaries. Seventeen percent cited more supplies and technology, and an equal number would spend the money on classes and extracurriculars. Infrastructure improvements and new schools were identified as the top spending priority by 8 percent.”